Page 23 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

Nimble fingers: The number-one priority for great pie making. If
you are without a food processor, possessing a good set of

baker’s hands will do the trick. Sadly, you can’t refrigerate your

fingers like you can butter and flour, so if your digits tend toward

the warm, avoid manhandling the dough. If you’re like me and

suffer from poor circulation that results in icy fingers, dive in!
Otherwise, the hot-fingered without a food processor should

invest in a handheld pastry blender.

Food processor: Many of my pie doughs begin in the food

processor. The sharp blades of the machine make blending the
dough quick stuff, which reduces the amount of time you spend

mixing and potentially overworking the gluten. Overworking

leads to tough and rubbery dough—but the blitz action of this

machine leaves you with tenderness instead. Using one also

allows you to freeze your fats prior to adding them to the flour,
which is impossible when blending with your tender fingers. And

the processor comes in handy for fillings like frangipane or for

pulverizing nuts and making fruit purées.

Electric mixer: While electric mixers are usually the stuff of cake

and cookie making and not the standard in the pie world, they
are pretty indispensable when preparing pastry creams, puff

pastry, and pizza and strudel dough. When developing gluten is

key to the process, give your muscles a break and let the

machine sweat it out for you!

Rolling pin: My preference is a French rolling pin, one that tapers
at the ends. But any sturdy pin, whether it’s French, marble, or a

wine bottle, is key to rolling out your lovely crusts.